Creating a unique footprint in Tempe is a tall task on its own, but stepping into the shoes of the longest-tenured coach in ASU history? An entirely new challenge.
When former women's tennis head coach Sheila McInerney stepped down from the position in 2024 after 40 seasons building the program, leading it to 36 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, Athletic Director Graham Rossini cast the first coaching net of his young tenure.
In stepped head coach Jamea Jackson, who, in two seasons leading Princeton women's tennis, was named the 2024 Ivy League Coach of the Year and guided the Tigers to consecutive Ivy League titles.
While turning around a program that's lost its way can be difficult, maintaining a winning culture poses its own set of issues. Jackson said she "prefer(s) it this way" and highlighted the abnormality of the situation: a coaching change in a program that's seen nothing but success for four decades.
"It's pretty rare to come into a situation where it's so clean, and the traditions are so strong, where a lot of times you come in, there's a change that's happening for a reason," Jackson said. "It definitely has its challenges because the kids have to adjust … and so you have to build those bonds."
Junior Emilija Tverijonaite was one of those players. As a freshman recruited by McInerney, Tverijonaite hit a season-high No. 68 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings but immediately had to create a new relationship with Jackson the following season.
"Everything kind of changed really quickly," Tverijonaite said. "There was not much time to prepare mentally, really. It was just a shift between coaches. But from the start, I really had my whole trust in (Jackson) because of her experience and the way she is as a person."
Over the past two seasons, their connection has only continued to grow. Now No. 26 in the ITA singles rankings, Tverijonaite's game, which has always been strong from the baseline, has continued to develop, incorporating greater variety, net coverage and angles.
Tverijonaite is one of four upperclassmen on the team, but she and junior Sara Svetac's journey through the regime shift has helped amplify their leadership voices in addition to their on-court success.
"We brought in three to four players and a different coaching staff entirely, so they've been finding their role and adjusting and really settled in this year amazingly," Jackson said. "They're going to come into next year in the same way, ready to lead."
While Svetac and Tverijonaite have adjusted, Vivian Ovrootsky, the Sun Devils' lone graduate student, has undertaken the task of vocal leader. Ovrootsky spent four years at Texas, winning a national championship in 2022, but it's her background with Jackson and assistant coach Charlotte Chavatipon that's made her transition so seamless.
Jackson coached Ovrootsky on the junior circuit when she was 13, and Chavatipon was one of Ovrootsky's doubles partners and a friend in Austin.
Ovrootsky brought big-match experience and an energetic personality to ASU, yet it's her sense of stability that the Sun Devils have found to be most impactful.
"She's going to put a point on the board," Jackson said. "(She's) there when you need her. She's going to be a solid presence in the girls' lives, our freshman that came in this semester (Sarang Lim), she calls her all the time."
The California native is also a big proponent of working the mental side of her game, visualizing herself overcoming negative emotions and emerging victorious before the match.
"The mental part, especially at the higher levels, is what separates good teams from great teams," Ovrootsky said. "The importance of meditation or just being aware of your emotions and how to handle them is just essential for success at this level."
That preparation has shown itself in her results. Ovrootsky's 27 wins this season are the seventh-most since 1985; Tverijonaite is just one spot ahead at 28. The record of 33, set by Kelcy McKenna in 2008 and 2009, is within striking distance for both.
Less than 24 months have passed since Jackson assumed the head coaching role, but the women's program has only picked up steam. ASU peaked at No. 6 earlier this season, and currently sits at No. 14, harboring a five-match win streak that's pushed it to 15-4.
The Sun Devils are tied for third in the Big 12 with a 7-2 record and have a shot at cracking the top-10 nationally, but Jackson's presence at the top eclipses mere win-loss records. It's a mindset that mirrors her predecessor — to move the program and its athletes forward.
"The team is definitely going to be as good as all of us are willing to push it and grind for it and claw for it to be on a daily basis, and that's our motto," Jackson said. "What is our best today? What's our mission? Keeping that in mind and pushing, and pushing and pushing and pushing to have the best season that we can."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Henry Smardo and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at pvallur2@asu.edu and follow @PrathamValluri on X.
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Pratham Valluri is a sports reporter at The State Press. He is a junior majoring in sports journalism with business and data analytics minors. He’s in his 5th semester with The State Press working previously as an opinion writer.
